Stromling Ape
Stromling Apes, originally known as Maelstrom Apes, are mini-bosses found in Gnarled Forest. Stromling Apes were first created when the Darkitect searched Gnarled Forest, looking for potential allies for his Stromling Pirate Armada in their battles against Captain Jack Knife and Venture League. During his search, he discovered an ape and was inspired to recreate the colossal creature as a menacing, aggressive Maelstrom servant. Stromling Apes have been known to ambush pirate travelers passing in and out of the Pirate Camp, and these Stromling Apes keep these pirates' parrots as loot. Stromling Apes first appeared in Mission 12 of The Great Minifig Mission under their original name "Maelstrom Ape". Mission 12 provided information on the Maelstrom Apes, stating that they were corrupted by the Maelstrom and warning Minifigures to approach Maelstrom Apes with caution. In the mini-game, Maelstrom Apes occasionally appeared in a small town styled after Zorillo Plaza, and players would have to shoot the Maelstrom Apes to get more points. Maelstrom Apes reappear in Mission 20, where players must indicate their risk level based upon Mission 12's information. A Stromling Ape makes its first in-game appearance in the log-in screen, where it roars at the player, walks around, and sits down. A courageous Minifig defeats this Stromling Ape by hopping into a cannon manned by another Minifig. The second Minifig fires the cannon, sending the first Minifig flying into the Stromling Ape, which is smashed into LEGO bricks as a result. Stromling Apes can be found in key areas of Gnarled Forest, where they serve as obstacles to players passing through the jungle. Specifically, Stromling Apes can be found in the roads leading from Maelstrom Trench to Elephant Escarpment, from Elephant Escarpment to Brig Rock, and from Brig Rock to Pirate Camp. To aid players, Venture League has buried anchors in these areas that are unearthed when Stromling Apes use their Ground Pound attacks. As mini-bosses, Stromling Apes have 25 Armor points in addition to 80 Life points. If an Ape is attacked to the point where its armor is depleted, it will be dazed for several seconds. The ideal way to defeat one is to build an anchor from the loose pieces often found lying around Apes during this period of being stunned. The anchor quick build unearthed by the Apes require 9 Imagination. The anchors do not smash Apes instantly when built, but instead deal 60-75 damage to their health, making the Apes considerably easier for players to battle. When defeated, Stromling Apes drop a wide variety of items, including various rare drops and Faction Tokens. A Stromling Ape was responsible for smashing Kurt Tussle, causing the Nexus Force Guard to be assigned to gate duty. Before allowing players to travel to Crux Prime, Duke Exeter sends players to prove themselves by bringing back either a Stromling Admiral's anchor or a Stromling Ape's anchor. A Stromling Ape makes a cameo appearance during races held at Dragonmaw Chasm in Forbidden Valley. When players drive through the Stromling-infested tunnels underneath Paradox Refinery, the Stromling Ape can be seen watching the race from the right side of the tunnel and occasionally beating its chest with its fists, as if preparing for a ground pound. Related Missions and Achievements *Pirate Swashbuckler *Not the Boss of Me *Anchor Management Maelstrom Monster Bio History: Far more imposing than Pirates or Admirals, Stromling Apes are the greatest threats facing the Nexus Force in Gnarled Forest. Eager for his forces to win the fight against Captain Jack Knife and his Venture League crew, the Darkitect sought to create an ally for his Stromling Pirate Armada early on in his reign. Looking deep into the jungle for creative inspiration, the nefarious villain discovered a thundering ape and mimicked its colossal form, twisting its image into that of a menacing, aggressive Maelstrom servant. Truly imposing foes, Stromling Apes have taken up defensive positions in strategic locations around Gnarled Forest. One particularly menacing Ape blocks the main pass into the Pirate Camp. He has proven more than a match for lightly armored Nexus Force members in the past – new recruits wearing anything less than Rank 2 Faction Gear should rely on tactics, planning, and teamwork to best this fiend and pass into the Pirate Camp. Some Stromling Apes have been reported to carry parrots looted from pirate travelers ambushed while passing in and out of Jack Knife’s Camp. Defeating an Ape in possession of such a feathered friend will allow you to inherit it. Impressed with how effective Stromling Apes became at pestering the Nexus Force, the Darkitect later returned to Gnarled Forest in search of lieutenants for his growing Maelstrom legion. Searching deeper into the jungle than before, he discovered two towering, massive silverbacks, stronger and more fearless than any other Apes in the forest. Each was the proud leader of its tribe. Calling on the forces of chaos, the Darkitect stole their forms, perverting their essences into two of the most aggressive, black-hearted fiends in the Maelstrom – Kinga Hurl and Roo Morgg. Stats: 80 Life Points, 25 Armor Points Attacks: Ground Pound: Short Ranged Area Attack that deals 5 damage to nearby targets. Strikes 3 times per attack. To aid adventurers without Rank 2 Faction Gear in their fight against Apes, the Venture League has buried heavy anchors in some of the Apes’ favorite spots. When an Ape Ground Pounds, the pieces of these anchors will be shaken loose to the surface, after which they can be quick-built and dropped on the Ape’s head for very high damage. Exploding Boulder Throw: Long Ranged Attack that deals 5 damage to targets around the point of impact. Tactics: Minifgures with Rank 1 Faction Gear should not attempt to fight a Stromling Ape alone, as both of its attacks will likely smash you in one hit. If you are wearing Rank 1 Faction Gear, the Paradox recommends gathering a team before charging a Stromling Ape. Not only will teaming up make it easier to smash the Ape, but it will also allow all team members to share in its valuable loot. Using careful timing, wait until the Ape has finished all three strikes of its Ground Pound, then charge. Once you cause 25 damage, the Ape’s armor will break, causing it to become dazed and confused for an extended period of time. While the Ape is befuddled, build the anchor quickly – it will usually smash the stunned gorilla. Unfortunately, not all tactics are to be trusted. For instance, Bert Scurvyburp has a theory that if you eat bananas near Stromling Apes, they’ll become temporarily distracted. This is not an effective strategy, unless your goal is to become a large banana pudding. And there are no Factions in the Nexus Force for banana pudding. Attacks *'Exploding Boulder Throw': The Ape unearths a glowing boulder and tosses it towards a target. The boulder travels in a straight line, deals 5 damage, and is fairly easy to avoid but has splash damage. *'Ground Pound': The Ape rises onto its hind legs and beats its chest before slamming the ground three times. Each slam knocks back enemies and deals 5 damage. This attack is the one that unearths the pieces used to build the Ape Anchor. Beta Information Stromling Apes were called Darkling Apes in alpha testing, Maelstrom Apes in early beta testing, and Gorilla Mechs in early Passports. In alpha testing, Darkling Apes made an appearance in the Gnarled Forest Survival, where they could spawn around the Battle Trench in great numbers. Until the Crux Prime update, in-game Stromling Apes' limbs did not glow with Maelstrom purple and had an entirely black and gray color scheme, although the log-in screen Stromling Ape's color scheme was changed shortly before the game's release. Prior to the Battle for Crux Prime update, Stromling Apes rarely dropped Faction Tokens. Prior to the Nexus Jawbox update, Stromling Apes could be instantly defeated with an anchor, as seen in the video in the Gallery below. Trivia *Bert Scurvyburp theorizes that eating bananas near a Stromling Ape will temporarily distract the primate. Nexus Force does not consider this an effective strategy. *The Maelstrom Ape on the log-in screen possesses unique textures, with a more violet-hued Maelstrom glow and a blue-tinted chin. *During the November 22, 2011 Nexus Tower party hosted by Shival, numerous unused Named Enemies were spawned, including NAMED Stromling Ape.11_22_2011_live.wmv NAMED Stromling Ape later reappeared at the January 3, 2012 and January 28, 2012 Mythran parties held at Nimbus Plaza. See Also *Stromling Ape Invader *Kinga Hurl External Links *Maelstrom Monster Bio: Stromling Ape *How to Build: Stromling Ape! References Galley Gallery 28 24 215786.jpg|Pre-Alpha Sentinels fight a Stromling Ape near Elephant Escarpment Darkling ape.png|Early Stromling Ape passport artwork FaceTheApe.png|Late beta Stromling Ape passport artwork LEGO Universe Artwork - Keith Richards - 13.png|A Stromling Ape in a Scheduled Maintenance patcher LEGO_Universe_2011-12-26_17-44-20.jpg|Stromling Ape at the log-in screen Stromling Ape 1.png|A Stromling Ape in-game Stromling Ape 2.png|A Stromling Ape throwing a boulder Smashing a stromling ape (Solo)|Building an anchor prior to the Nexus Jawbox update Stromling Ape.jpg|Stromling Ape artwork for news articles LDDApeOfficial.png|Official LEGO Digital Designer Stromling Ape model Screen Shot 2012-01-03 at 11.35.39 PM.png|NAMED Stromling Ape spawned in Nimbus Plaza NAMED Stromling Ape.png|NAMED Stromling Ape Category:Stromlings Category:Maelstrom Category:Gnarled Forest Category:Enemies